Hyperliquid vs HyperEVM vs Elysium: what's the difference?
If you came to Elysium from the memecoin side, the names can blur together. They are three different layers of one system.
Hyperliquid (HyperCore)
The base: a Layer-1 blockchain whose main product is an on-chain order-book exchange for perpetuals and spot. It runs its own consensus and its own native token, HYPE, which is also used for staking. When people say "trading on Hyperliquid" they usually mean this exchange.
HyperEVM
An Ethereum-compatible execution layer that lives on the same chain as HyperCore. It lets developers deploy ordinary Solidity contracts — DEXes, lending, NFTs — and interact with HyperCore's assets. Gas on HyperEVM is paid in HYPE. This is where kHYPE, most Hyperliquid DeFi and the first wave of memecoins live.
Elysium
A separate Layer-2 chain built by Kinetiq that settles to HyperEVM. It has its own blocks (faster and cheaper than HyperEVM), its own chain ID (99901 mainnet), and its own apps — but its gas token is still HYPE, bridged in from HyperEVM. Think of it as a fast lane attached to HyperEVM, the way Arbitrum attaches to Ethereum.
Side by side
| Hyperliquid | HyperEVM | Elysium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | L1 + exchange | EVM layer on the L1 | L2 settling to HyperEVM |
| Gas | HYPE | HYPE | HYPE (bridged) |
| Typical use | Perps, spot | DeFi, staking, early memecoins | Launchpads, memecoins, new apps |
| Wallet network | Hyperliquid app | HyperEVM (chain 999) | Elysium (chain 99901) |
Which one am I on?
Look at your wallet's network selector. "HyperEVM" and "Elysium" are different networks with different balances; HYPE on one does not show on the other until you bridge. ElyScreener only reads Elysium.
Next: bridging HYPE to Elysium.
Open ElyScreener →